Q148637: Windows 95/98 Overwrites Boot-Sector Field on Floppy Disks (2001)
11 hours ago
- #Floppy Disk
- #Boot Sector
- #Windows 95
- Windows 95/98 may overwrite the OEMName field in the boot sector of floppy disks, causing some disks (like IBM Flash BIOS update disks) to become unrecognizable or damaged.
- The cause is Windows' Volume Tracker (Voltrack.vxd) writing a unique volume ID to the OEMName field (offset 0x03) for disks that are not write-protected.
- Resolutions include: write-protecting the disk, adding a boot-sector ID to the NoVolTrack registry key, or accessing the disk only in MS-DOS mode.
- To edit the NoVolTrack key, add a binary value with the vendor-specific string and offset in reverse-byte format; example .reg files are provided.
- If the disk is already damaged, contact the manufacturer for a replacement; editing the registry carries risks and should be done with caution.